H.G.K. Westenbrink prize

Westenbrink prize 2017/2018: Pascal Miesen

The H.G.K.Westenbrink prize 2017/2018 has been awarded to Dr. Pascal Miesen for his thesis "Untangling the piRNA pathway in the arbovirus vector mosquito Aedea aegypti" (promotor: Prof. dr. R. van Rij, Radboud University Medical Center). The jury was very impressed with the research described by Dr. Pascal Miesen in his PhD Thesis. Pascal discovered two novel functions of RNA interference in mosquito, namely the involvement of piRNAs in gene regulation as well as the defense against arboviruses. In order to unravel the mechanism of this latter immune function, Pascal created a novel technological platform. His work is highly cited and has been presented at international meetings. The jury was particularly impressed with the clarity by which the PhD thesis was written. The thesis includes a Prelude, seldom seen in a PhD thesis, and two chapters for the general discussion. In addtion the beautiful figures provide clear explanations of the scientific findings. Pascal’s discovery of the role of piRNAs in the immune system of the mosquito is expected to open up a whole new field of research as it provides opportunities for the development of anti-viral therapies against serious diseases, such as Dengue and Zika.

About the Westenbrink prize

The H.G.K. Westenbrink prize was established by the Stichting Stimulering Biochemie Nederland (SSBN) and is awarded each year to the best thesis in the area of biochemistry and molecular biology in the previous academic year. The prize includes a charter and € 2.000, which are handed out during the fall symposium of the NVBMB. Hendrik Gerrit Koob Westenbrink (1901-1964) was a professor in Physiological Chemistry in Utrecht. After World War II he worked very hard to get biochemical research in the Netherlands back to the internation level, as he was well aware of the significant stagnation that had taken place in Dutch biochemical research during the war years.

How to nominate candidates

The board of the SSBN invites you to send nominations for the H.G.K. Westenbrink prize. Please note the following:

candidates can only be nominated by their promotor or co-promotor;

candidates have to defend at a Dutch university but need not be of Dutch nationality;

the research should be in the broad area of the molecular life sciences.

To nominate, send the following documents to the SSBN secretary, dr. H. van Ingen (H.vanIngen@uu.nl):

nomination letter with short motivation describing the importance and quality of the thesis;